In order to crack the whip over private schools, the school education department on Monday started verifying their documents like non-objection certificates and admissions under Right to Education

In order to crack the whip over private schools, the school education department on Monday started verifying their documents like non-objection certificates and admissions under Right to Education (RTE).

Dehradun, the hill state’s school education hub, is home to nearly 250 private schools.

School education minister Arvind Pandey on Saturday directed the department to start investigation of documents of each private school.

Such initiative was taken for the first time in the state as Pandey is firm to keep track of private schools’ activities.

“It’s important to cross-check official documents of private schools on routine basis. Once the government or any department gives them non-objection certificate, they don’t bother to monitor them again. We don’t want any problem for parents,” the minister said.

Many top schools in the state capital are over 50 years old. Most of these schools are in the residential areas for which they acquire NOC from the urban local body and development authority.

People close to the matter said many big schools have managed to take over the government land on lease.

“There are schools that started off with a small area and in many decades have taken up adjoining government land on lease. The local authority and administration is simply extending the lease without knowing how they are using it,” an officer with the school education department said requesting anonymity.

Schools have to seek NOC from the government, promising to take students under RTE quota.

“I have already asked the officers to start the process and I will also try to visit some schools in this regard,” Joshi said.

Prem Kashyap, who heads the association of private schools, said the administration has already nominated a person in all school managements to keep track over the documents.

“The government is to pay ₹170 crore to private schools under RTE. And even the high court has directed it to furnish the dues by March 31. We have nominated persons from administration that monitor the private school documents,” he said.